MUD Administration

Getting off ground level...

I am Azeroth Urden. This seems to be the board to post this, if I am incorrect...please let me know. I guess I am posting this to hopefully catch the attention of people with far more experience and longevity than myself. I need some advice. I have a very good (not self-proclaimed, but per the comments of many others) idea for a mud. I do not wish this mud to be some free mud that someone else can simply steal my idea (or code). My goal for this idea is to be much more successful than that (perhaps even venture into the realm of "commercial"). The problem is I have been working on making this dream into a reality since September of last year, and have been fraught with pitfalls. Mostly due to a lack in dependable, longevity proven, staff. I am calling all cars here. I need to speak with someone about this who has the experience and know-how to take a guy with a "vision" like myself and make this work. I know I am being vague about this "idea" but I feel that it is just good enough to be purposefully vague. I don't know what else to say. Thanks for your time and I hope this post is fruitful.

I understand your hesitancy to expand on your concepts but from what you've said it's hard to figure out what kind of game you want to create. If you intend to eventually go commercial if successful, then you have a whole set of issues to deal with starting with is it to be 'text based' or 'MMORPG'. Then comes the hosting issues of your box capacity, reliability, connection speeds and cost of services.

If text based, the only way to get around existing licenses is either you or someone in your employ create a code from the ground up. That means from enabling people to interface with your code all the way to experiencing some unique design for interacting with your new world. Almost all of us here use some form of derivative freeware code as a base but there are a few that may respond with better helps about getting started with creating your own code.

Getting quality staff is always an issue when starting out fresh and you really haven't provided any guiding parameters that might specifically attract someone yet.

I have a very good (not self-proclaimed, but per the comments of many others) idea for a mud. I do not wish this mud to be some free mud that someone else can simply steal my idea (or code).

A pay-to-play MUD has no greater guarantee of hiding the administration's 'ideas' from the public than a free MUD. Presuming that you want players on your game, you'll need to accept the fact that these players will be experiencing your world and your coded systems and have the legal right to create their own projects with implemented features that are similar. Furthermore, if you take the right security procedures, a free MUD can have just as impregnable of a shell as a commercial.

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The problem is I have been working on making this dream into a reality since September of last year, and have been fraught with pitfalls.

Welcome to the club! Swipe your membership card through the slit in the pool room to receive your free soda and salad bar coupon. In all seriousness, constructing any game is a long and difficult process, even for veteran coders and administrators. My project, for example, has been in development since January of 1999 and isn't anywhere close to completion. You shouldn't be discouraged, but you should also know what you're getting into.

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Originally Posted by

I need to speak with someone about this who has the experience and know-how to take a guy with a "vision" like myself and make this work.

What are your skills? Can you code? Are you a proficient builder or writer? Do you have the work ethic of a team of oxen? Once you've established what your skills are, you can begin filling in staff positions in areas where your talents are weaker.

Then:
1) Begin coding, or find a programmer to help you start the codebase. The coding forums here and at the Mud Connector as well as the MUD-DEV mailing list are a good source of reference for some of the trickier parts of core code - sockets, memory management, etc.
2) Find a shell to host your game. Kyndig.com has received a lot of greater reviews for their services and pricing.
3) Create a website, post in the staff wanted forums with a specific definition of what you want.

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Originally Posted by

I know I am being vague about this "idea" but I feel that it is just good enough to be purposefully vague.

I'm sure that it's a good idea. It may even be outstanding, brilliant, earth-shattering and awe-inspiring. The fact of the matter, however, is that this is a claim that someone posts on one of these forums at least once a month. Everyone has an outstanding idea or dream that they want brought into reality. One of the reasons that you see so many posts requesting coders is that there are more people out there with "outstanding ideas" than those who have the ability to realize them. Several years ago, I was in a very similar situation (and from conversations with some other administrative directors such as Wes Platt or Duke, I know that this situation is actually commonplace.) We were lucky enough to find coders that thought our ideas were outstanding as well. And that's that, the development process begins.

Keeping your ideas hidden and away from the public eye is only going to make the process of forming a staff that much more difficult. To be perfectly honest with you, those with the capability of implementing ideas are working on projects of their own, with their own ideas and canon.

If the ideas that you have are so good that these implementors would want to 'steal' them, you need to accept the fact that even by keeping your project top secret, they would 'steal' them when your game opens for players.

You should realize, before you put a significant amount of time into developing your project, that Wizards of the Coast has a firm policy against using their systems (that includes the d20 system) for any commercial games without licensing. More information can be found at this link:TSR Online Policy

Azeroth Urden here. I am very excited about all of the input I have recieved here, on Kyndig, and on Mudcon. I do need to expand on my post I suppose. To answer some of the questions I have seen here:

1. I do have a website www.simud.moonfruit.com (had very good reviews on it)
2. I have 10 years experience (particularly with Diku muds), including OLC building experience (I would say I am 7 out of 10 on functionality 9 of 10 on quality writing).
3. I have, or will have the ability (pending finding out what all is involved) of hosting my game myself.
4. I do know the D&D liscensing issues, and feel that once we get things coded it will not be an issue. I was merely using that as a reference of the style of system you could expect.
5. I had already planned on it being a custom code, hence...I need a good coder
6. I know these projects take a long time, that isn't a problem...it's just that I can't even get started until I have a coder that can do the job.

*thinks* I hope that answers all, or at least most, of the questions raised in posts I have read. Now for the idea. I have created a completely new "world" or "storyline" from geography, to characters, to storyline, etc. D&D fans would know this as a "campain setting". At any rate, if you go to the website you can read the entire thing and then you will know exactly what I am talking about. I wrote the entire thing myself, and have created all of the system requirements to support it in my system. I have a talented building staff already plucking away at it. This project is serious for me. I have a graphic designer drawing a map of the realm for me, as well as designing a logo for the website. I have no qualms spending money to see this dream become a reality. In fact I have already begun finding out what I need to do to build a company around this. I may have to start it as an ISP in order to fund my "downtime" while we are in creation...but I think this *might* portray how serious I am about this. Who knows, with the right key people, maybe we could become the next Blizzard Entertainment? lol

4. I do know the D&D liscensing issues, and feel that once we get things coded it will not be an issue. I was merely using that as a reference of the style of system you could expect.

Then you'll be removing the Drow, Deurgar, Svirfneblin, Kender, etc?

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6. I know these projects take a long time, that isn't a problem...it's just that I can't even get started until I have a coder that can do the job.

Of course you can - you could put together a design document. I spent over a year and a half in the design phase, and I believe Falconer spent even longer. The more thoroughly you design the game now, the faster you'll be able to develop the mud once you start coding.

I am not trying to say that I will be using Diku to make money, I know that is illegal. I was merely stating my experience as a reference. Calm down. KaVir, I like your input. I have to find out just what I can and can't do with stuff from D&D. If necessary, names of things can be changed. In the novel willow, humans were called Daikinis and halflings were called Nelwyns...*shrug* As I said, I am confidant that the end product will have no issues (as I will weed them all out prior to opening). Anyway, I am merely trying to get input from you all on how to make this work. And I am happy with what I have recieved from everyone. Yes, I need a coder that can custom code...but I know all will come in time. I am currently looking into creating a business model to back up this idea...